Q: What’s the definition of a marriage?
A: Spending an entire lifetime asking your sweetie, “So what do you want to eat?”
Having said that, while there’s plenty of WHAT to discuss, I’d like to share with you about a WHERE… An excellent new hidden find in Singapore that you will love to dine with your other half, or with dear friends who are like family. Introducing… NINJA CUT at Seah Street!
Located just across the iconic Raffles Hotel, Ninja Cut is the latest concept restaurant by former 987FM radio deejay Darren Wee and his team at The Astronaut Group, who also run Ninja Bowl and Chillax Cafe. Walking through its hipster doors, the sleek industrial-chic interior and imported designer wood fixtures definitely gives off a vibe completely apt for the modern day Ninja. Long and narrow like its sister restaurant Ninja Bowl located at Duxton Road, the air-conditioned establishment fits about 60 pax with a nice large table at the end perfect for a party of eight.
My friends and I popped in on Friday night and it was packed… super awesome for a new restaurant which only opened in October; it means they’re doing everything right! Our servers, Lawrence and Cecilia, were friendly and prompt with their service. Nothing beats good, well-informed and polite staff. I’m sure all of us have at some time or other been sadly put off by promising F&B establishments no thanks to their less than acceptable level of service. Thankfully Ninja Cut has lots of pride in that department (even their unisex bathroom is spotless!) and I can imagine them easily packing a nice lunchtime crowd too!
The three of us had a long day and were quite famished, and became even more so after leafing through the Ninja Cut menu which featured a wide variety of all-day brunch nom noms, fresh succulent seafood and yummy cuts of meat that will make meat lovers very happy. I’m not much of a carb girl, so I was doing a happy dance of joy when I noted their sweet selection of proteins like crackling pork belly and roast ribeye. My friends were delighted to find options like cod fillet and whole squid, as well as, base choices like buckwheat soba noodles, quinoa, garden greens and Ninja Cut’s proprietary rice blend (because some people just need their rice)! Ninja Rice is a mix of vinegared Japanese pearl rice, brown rice and seaweed flakes. It took us quite a while to finally decide on our order since everything on the menu looked so good! Decisions, decisions…
It was a rainy day when we visited, so Ade had a hot pomegranate oolong tea which was warm and comforting. Bern had their cold elderflower tea which was refreshing lemonade with the distinctive taste of elderflower. I enjoyed another cold drink, the coconut lemon mint, which came with very generous slices of coconut in the tall glass! We picked a side to share and really, you can’t go wrong with Ninja Cut’s Bacon Asparagus tempura. It was crispy, soft and crunchy in all the right places! Bacon is the obvious hero of the dish and it was a very tasty treat, which comes paired with a nice aioli dip.
Bernard’s #CrispyGoals was the first main to arrive… Crackling pork belly served up with Ninja Rice, his mouthwatering dish arrived with a beautiful onsen egg! He was all praises for it; the skin was crispy and meat tender and moist, he also enjoyed the distinct spices that flavoured the delicious meal. The mushrooms had a nice hit of garlic, the sliced cucumbers were crunchy and the dressing was perfect. If you love beetroot, you’ll be in for a treat! A man who really loves his rice, my dear friend finished every grain and agreed that the additional $2 for the generous, fluffy Ninja Rice was a great deal especially for a restaurant situated in town.
Adeline ordered a dish recommended by our server, and her Ninja’s Steak & Eggs absolutely made us drool the moment we saw it coming towards our table! We were more than happy when she offered to share. She had requested for medium doneness and the steak was cooked just right, and it came generously drizzled in awesome sauce. It was a truly hearty meal, complete with creamy scrambled eggs. Truffle lovers would love this dish; you can taste and smell it but the truffle doesn’t overpower the hero of the dish. Bread comes free with this scrumptious order and if you’re a big eater, this dish is perfect for you.
So what did I pick? I ordered the Cheeky Cheese, a 24-hour braised beef cheek seasoned in red-wine and braised in Japanese curry… creating a wonderful full-bodied flavour that made my happy tastebuds disco dance. Paired with an oozy grilled cheese brioche sandwich perfect for mopping up the delish gravy, you can bet I was one very satisfied diner. Meat lovers will enjoy this awesome all-day brunch option; the tender beef in its awesome sauce, the delightful yuzu drizzled garden greens, and of course the fantastic grilled cheese brioche. It’s a generous dish that I happily give a full 10 points to. My pictures simply doesn’t do it justice!
And since there’s always room for dessert, we shared the Marvellous Matcha, their artisanal matcha ‘hotcake’ filled with green tea fondant, baked at a crisp 200 degrees celcius before being topped with a generous dollop of ricotta cheese and tastefully adorned with edible flowers, speculoos crumble, yuzu peel, chewy dango and yes… the pretty pancake, which is created to order, tastes as good as it looks, making it totally worth the 15 minute wait!
Green tea is the hero of the dish. Yuzu fans who have a sweet tooth will be happy with this Instagram worthy creation. A lot of love obviously went into whipping this up, and all of us loved the nice mix of interesting and unique flavours. We were already feeling very stuffed, but magically managed to finish the sizeable dessert. And just before leaving, we couldn’t help but notice the rest of Ninja Cut’s eye-catching sweeties on display at their counter…
If you’re looking for a place in town that serves up great food in a comfy environment at reasonable prices, Ninja Cuts is definitely worth a check out. I’d say it’s perfect for a night out with friends or even date night. I’ll definitely be back!
Photos by yours truly and Bernard Sim / Magicdow Photography
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Tel: 6264 7727
32 Seah Street, Singapore 188388
Opening hours: 9.30am – 9.30pm (weekdays) / 9am – 6pm (weekends)
